A ‘gobbler’ of a year: Arkansas turkey harvest reaches 18-year peak

Jack Horton (right) harvested a gobbler on the opening day of the 2026 youth turkey season with his father, Taylor Horton, in Independence County. (Photo courtesy Taylor Horton via the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission)

Arkansas turkey hunters just wrapped up their most successful spring in nearly two decades, proving that a mix of patience and favorable weather can yield a “gobbler” of a season.

Hunters checked 13,591 turkeys during the official season that ended Sunday night. According to historical data from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, this marks the highest spring harvest since 2006.

“Arkansas had a good amount of mature gobblers on the ground this year, thanks to conservative seasons during the last few years promoting high gobbler carryover,” said Allison Fowler, AGFC assistant chief of wildlife management.

Fowler attributed the boom to a combination of improved habitat and ideal weather conditions two years ago. The commission is also analyzing a new split opening weekend structure to determine its impact on the final numbers.

While this is the most successful season in 18 years, it remains below the 2003 record of 19,947 birds. However, biologists note the comparison is nuanced due to stricter conservation rules currently in place. In 2003, nearly a quarter of the harvest consisted of “jakes,” or immature males.

“We established the ‘No Jakes Rule’ in 2011,” Fowler said. “Since then, only youth hunters can legally harvest an immature gobbler, and they may only take one per season.”

This year, jakes accounted for less than 3% of the total harvest—just over 300 birds. Additionally, the harvest of bearded hens, legal in 2003, was eliminated in 2021 to bolster reproduction.

Modern hunters also have less time in the woods than their predecessors. In 2003, the season lasted 37 days in most of the state. This year, the primary zones were open for 21 days, while more restrictive zones were open for only nine.

Despite the shorter windows, the new split-season structure allowed hunters to move between southern and northern zones for different opening days.

“We’re still analyzing just how many people engaged in this sort of zone-hopping,” Fowler said, noting that overall great weather likely played a larger role in the increased success.

AGFC biologists remain cautiously optimistic about the flock’s future. While 2024 saw high reproduction, last year’s surveys indicated a slight dip.

“Next season may see a decline because of moderate reproduction in 2025,” Fowler said. “Still, a slight decline next season won’t be shocking; you really never know until the season is here.”

Arkansas’s first family got in on the action during this year’s record-setting turkey hunting season. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Arkansas’s first gentleman, Bryan Sanders, both harvested mature gobblers in southern Arkansas in the first week of the season. (Image provided by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission)